Let’s go on trip. A trip that reveals God’s plan and promise. A trip that will bring reassurance and peace. A trip that will consist of trials and tribulations. A trip that will bring joy from hopeless situations. A trip that produces endless victories in the mist of unexpected defeat.
It is so easy to get caught up and distracted by what is presently happening when life says: “you’re not going to make it”, “how are you going to do that?”, and “that is NEVER going to work out”. Unsure moments, moments of doubts, and moments of fear happen to all of us. If a person says they have never been in a place of uncertainty, then they must not be chasing destiny. Everyone’s dream looks different as well as their definition of success, so let me break it down by using a portion of mine as an example. When I close my eyes and envision all that God has for me I see a hard-working Queen. A Queen that spends time traveling across the country learning, teaching, writing, evolving, and motivating others. Let me not leave out the fact that I see a Queen that is literally loving the HELL out of the King God tailor-made specifically for her. I could go on for days about my dream and the promise I know God is going to fulfil, but let me get to the reality. The moment I open my eyes I still see a Queen, but I see a Queen that is single, a struggling graduate student, and has never left the country. However, the beauty in this is that I have found beauty in my reality. In a generation that longs for microwave results in everything from careers to relationships, it is a great feeling to FINALLY be able to be content with my present chapter. I had to put my timeline to rest and take rest in the fact that God is bigger than my reality and although I may not have all that I desire right now I’m exactly where He needs me to be. It’s so much to learn from the struggle there is no need to rush to the success. All things come together when they are supposed to and how they are supposed to.
At the age of twenty-six, I have accomplished a lot. If I always look at my failures or where I’m not at yet, I’ll miss every moment of victory and I’ll forget to celebrate the moments of success. If I get so caught up in my now, I’ll never make the steps to get to my future. Trust me I love to day-dream but I’m not just dreaming the day away. I draw near God daily and invite Him into every area of my life. I allow Him to lead. In my moments of uncertainty and I’m losing patience I remember God will never leave my side and He will keep His promise to me. I embrace every no and learn from every mistake. I nurture relationships that are valuable to me, I step out of my comfort zone to develop relationships that will bring elevation, and I move on from anything that is stagnant. I put in work DAILY and my faith is connected to effort. I have accepted that it is okay to dream big and it is okay to put some projects on hold. Everything isn’t going to happen overnight and every success isn’t meant to happen in your twenties.
To you my friend, who is reading this, I pray you find peace, joy, and comfort in your trip. I pray that this journey becomes an experience that draws you closer to God. I pray that you stop looking at the reality of what you have right now and that you clock your faith in. I pray that you take the step that you have been so afraid to take and you allow God to carry you the rest of the way. I pray that you never become stagnant. I pray that you give yourself peace by letting go of the timeline you have created for yourself and that you fully believe God will do what He said.
With love,
Courtney Arlesia